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2011 Toyota
Trucks Will Meet New Towing Standards

For truck enthusiasts who
watch tow ratings like their favorite football teams’
scores, there’s a change coming.

It’s no secret that each
manufacturer has its own way of testing the maximum
towing capacity of its pickup trucks; the gamesmanship
over the years is well-documented. To level the playing
field, the Society of Automotive Engineers decided a few
years ago to form a task force to determine which
procedures and regulations should be instituted to make
sure each automaker gives the consumer the most accurate
— and comparable — tow rating.

The idea is to make sure
each manufacturer uses the same testing procedures so
the consumer can get the best and most accurate
information. To date, there is only a proposed standard,
called J2807, that is still in formal deliberations;
however, with all the manufacturers currently involved,
there is something of a “gentlemen’s agreement” that the
2013 model year will be the target date to have these
processes and procedures in place across the board.

But some are adopting
these guidelines early. That’s why Toyota invited us out
for a day of towing (at maximum capacities) to let us
know that all of its 2011 models already comply with
J2807. Of note, many of the new tow ratings on
identically equipped vehicles from the previous year
have gone down, in some cases considerably.

This is largely because
the new SAE procedures are quite thorough and
exhausting, and they include a rather challenging
handling requirement that many automakers had not
considered. The end result for truck buyers is that from
one year to the next, they might see some changes in the
maximum tow ratings of their favorite pickups (usually
down, but possibly in some cases up). And it may not
mean the vehicle has changed in any way, just that it is
being tested more thoroughly than before.

An important issue to
keep in mind, especially in the next several years, is
that an SAE-rated vehicle cannot necessarily be compared
to one that is not SAE rated because the two ratings are
likely to be calculated with two different methods. This
is similar to the situation we had a few years ago when
the EPA changed its testing procedures to determine fuel
economy, or when the EPA changed how engine horsepower
was calculated.

Any change in methodology
will make direct comparisons difficult, if not
impossible, but the tow rating issue is complicated by
the fact that the full procedural changeover for every
manufacturer may not be complete for one or two model
years. In the meantime, pay special attention as to
whether the pickup truck you are interested in buying is
SAE-rated or not.

PickupTrucks.com readers
should be familiar with the wars over maximum towing
capacity that have heated up over the past 10 years in
the half-ton and heavy-duty arenas. Ford, GM and Ram
have magically upped their rating numbers at different
points with seemingly little or no changes to a specific
frame or suspension. Also, they’ve all been guilty of
using their maximum towing numbers — which typically
relate to a very specific low-volume vehicle — to gain
some type of advertising advantage when every
knowledgeable truck enthusiast knew the numbers applied
only to a specific model and not across the lineup.

That is partly why SAE
finally stepped in to try to standardize the testing and
rating procedures, making sure a truck-to-truck
comparison can be done. Every cab and powertrain
combination, including some of the more popular option
packages, will need to be tested for ratings. The
ultimate benefit is for the consumer, as automakers will
be forced to play (or tow) on an equal basis, with more
transparency.

In Toyota’s case, the tow
rating of most of the vehicles tested went down a
proportional amount across the lineup — for Tundra,
about 400 pounds. In other cases, especially with
midsize and large SUVs, the drop in towing capacity was
closer to 100 or 200 pounds.

Be aware of the coming
changes and know that some manufacturers may try to
embellish their ratings in the next year or two before
they start testing with the new standards. Here is a
brief, but not thorough or exhaustive, description of
some of the J2807 testing procedures:

1) A vehicle must be able
to pull a trailer of a designated weight (and shape) up
a Davis Dam simulation at a minimum speed of 40 mph in
ambient temperatures of 101 degrees with the maximum air
conditioning turned on at the full fan setting. The run
must be done several times, and there must be and no
overheating, no puking and no trouble codes.

2) All trailers must
adhere to the same specifications as set forth by the
J2807 procedures. They must be boxed with a flat face of
a specified height and width.

3) On a level road, the
vehicle and trailer combination must be able to
accelerate from zero to 30 mph in less than 12 seconds,
zero to 60 mph in 30 seconds, and run 40-60 mph in less
than 18 seconds.

4) A vehicle and trailer
must be able to launch a minimum distance of 16 feet
from a stop up a 12-percent grade five times in five
minutes, measured both in Drive and Reverse.

5) A vehicle and trailer
combination must be able to stay in control and in its
original lane when panic stopping from 80 mph. In those
cases where the combination cannot attain that speed,
the vehicle’s upper limit will suffice.

6) The vehicle and
trailer combination must be able to perform the
necessary low-speed turning circle test with the minimum
of understeer or trailer push.

7) For trailers weighing
less than 3,000 pounds, the vehicle must be able to stop
the combination (without trailer brakes) in 35 feet or
less. If the trailer is more than 3,000 pounds, the
distance is 80 feet.

8) The parking brake on
the towing vehicle must be able to hold the trailer
(without trailer brakes) pointed up and down a
12-percent grade.